The Only Exception
by WolfGirl1335
Summary: Haley is a social worker. Nathan is a lawyer. Sydney is a fifteen year old orphan who just wants a family. Could Nathan and Haley be that family for her?  *This story will not be continued*
1. Chapter 1

The Only Exception

**Author's Note: The idea for this story came out of the blue and I just felt compelled to write it. This was only supposed to be a one shot, but it ended up being too long for that. So I decided to make it a three-part story. Here is part one and I really hope you like it. **

**Update: Due to some confusion, Bethany Joy's name will be changed to Sydney. **

_Haley's POV_

I was standing on the curb trying to hail down a taxi cab. If one did not come soon, I was going to be very late. I cannot be late for Sydney.

Finally, a taxi cab stopped and I went to open the door, but I brushed hands with someone else.

"Oh, I'm sorry," we both said at the same time. That is when I looked up to see the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen.

Hot damn! Did it just get hotter out or was it just me?

The man standing in front of me had to be the sexiest man I have ever seen.

"Normally I am a gentleman and would let you take this cab, but I really need to be somewhere," he said looking forlorn.

"Here's an idea. Why don't we share the cab? I need to be somewhere important as well," I suggested feeling a little bit giddy.

"Sounds like a great idea. Ladies first," he said opening the door for me to get in.

The hot stranger told the driver where he wanted to go and I did the same as well.

The driver started the cab and began to take us to our destinations.

"I'm not really the type to sit in silence, so my name is Nathan Scott. It's nice to meet you," the hot stranger spoke trying to break the awkwardness.

"I'm Haley James, it's nice to meet you as well," I introduced myself.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you headed?" he asked looking curious.

"I am heading to the Manhattan City Orphanage," I said hoping he wouldn't ask a million questions why.

"I thought you looked like a social worker. I'm guessing you are going to the orphanage to tell a child that a family wants to adopt them," he spoke and I felt my jaw drop.

"How…..how?" I stammered wondering if I was in a taxi cab with a stalker.

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I kind of overheard your conversation on your cell phone before the cab pulled up. I promise I'm not a stalker or a creeper," he apologized looking sincere.

I gave him a heated look and the look on his face was priceless. He looked like a kid that got caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

I began to laugh hysterically and I couldn't stop.

"You should have seen your face," I gasped trying to calm myself down.

"I guess that was pretty funny," he said with a smirk on his face.

My heart skipped a beat and it scared me a little bit.

"So, where are you headed to Nathan?" I asked curiously.

"I am meeting a client at my office in Manhattan. If you couldn't tell, I am a lawyer," he explained.

"What type of lawyer are you?" I asked.

"I am a pro bono lawyer. I worked with clients who can't afford to pay for an actual lawyer. Some days it can be pretty crazy, but for the most part I like my job. So do you like being a social worker? That has to be a tough job," he said.

"Like you said, my job has its good and bad days. I find it interesting that the two of us met like this. We are both trying to give back to our community and heading to places that are not far from each other. What types of things do you do besides work?" I said wondering why my heart began to beat even faster.

Nathan and I talked for the next 20 minutes about the leisure activities we do when we are not working.

I felt a little bit sad when the driver stopped the car. We were at Nathan's office now.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you, Haley. I really enjoyed this cab ride with you and maybe I will see you again soon," he extended his hand out to mine.

"It was really nice to meet you as well Nathan. Good luck with your client. Maybe we will see each other again," I spoke hearing the sadness in my voice.

Nathan paid the driver, got out of the cab, gave me a smirk, and then walked into the building.

The driver drove away and I felt this weird ache in my heart. I wanted to see Nathan again and I felt like an idiot for not asking him his number.

I didn't have time to think about this because I had to get to the orphanage. Sydney is going to be wondering where I am.

Five minutes later, the driver stopped. I paid him and walked towards the orphanage. I can't remember how many times I have walked up this driveway. Until I found a home for Sydney, I would do it graciously every week.

Sydney Geller has been an orphan since she was eight years old. Her parents died in a terrible car accident. Unfortunately, there were no family members to take care of Sydney. She became a ward of the state and placed into an orphanage. When she was 12 years old, I took over her case. I've tried desperately to find her a family, but not too many are keen on raising a teenager. It's been three years already and I still can't find anybody. Sydney and I have become great friends and I still visit her as much as I can. I wish I could adopt her myself, but in order to adopt a child you have to be married.

I've had boyfriends but none of them seemed interested in marrying me and helping me raise a teenager.

So I am determined to find her a family because I feel bad that I cannot adopt her myself.

Sydney understands the situation and I know she wishes I would get married. If you saw the two of us together, you would think we were mother and daughter (or possibly sisters).

I entered the orphanage and was greeted by Kathy, the owner.

"Hey Haley, Sydney is waiting for you in her room. She has been going crazy waiting for you," she spoke in a motherly tone.

I walked up the steps and was greeted by the other children that live here.

I knocked on Sydney's door and she practically jumped on me.

"Haley, I'm glad you are finally here. What took you so long?" she exclaimed hugging me very tightly.

"I'm so sorry that I am late. It's a long story. How are you doing today?" I said as we sat down onto her bed.

"Who cares about me? Now tell me why you were late. Did you meet a guy? Please tell me you met a guy!!!" she exclaimed getting very excited.

"Calm down please. If you must know, I did meet a guy. We shared a cab ride into the city. He is a lawyer and his name is Nathan. And you can get that goofy look off your face because I am probably not going to see him again," I explained feeling sad for some reason.

"Come on Haley. Obviously you like this guy because you have a smile on your face. How do you know that you won't see him again? Please tell me that you got his digits," she demanded.

"Sydney Geller, we are dropping the subject now. Tell me about your week at school," I spoke trying to avoid the way I was feeling right now.

"Ugggh Haley, you need to take a chance every once in awhile. I know that Chris ended up being a jerk, but that doesn't mean every other guy in the world is too. Take the plunge and maybe this guy could be the one for you. Then you guys can get married and adopt me," she spoke sounding much older than a fifteen year old.

"Sydney, I love you to pieces but my love life is fine without your approval. I am not looking to date right now and I've explained many times I am not marrying someone off the streets just so I can adopt you. It wouldn't be fair to me or you to marry a guy that could hurt us both. So we are dropping the subject now and I want you to tell me how your week at school was," I explained trying to hide the smile on my face.

I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Sydney and then I took her out to lunch.

Of course, we end up seeing Nathan Scott in the same restaurant.

I tried to play cool and pretend I didn't see him. Unfortunately fate is a cold hearted whore because Sydney caught me staring.

"What on earth are you looking at?" she asked.

"Nothing," I whispered turning my head to look out the window.

That is when Nathan caught my eye and the smirk on his face made my heart skip a beat.

He got up from his table and walked over towards us. I seriously wanted to die because Sydney was going to have a field day with this.

"Well I'm glad soon only turned into a few hours later. I feel like an idiot for not getting your number. This must be fate or something," he said and his beautiful blue eyes twinkled.

"You must be Nathan. Haley has told me so much about you. I'm Sydney and it is so nice to meet you," Sydney introduced herself and she was positively beaming.

"It's nice to meet you too Sydney and I hope Haley has only said good things about me," he chuckled.

"I sort of lied. She only told me your name and how you shared a cab ride together. I tried to get her to tell me more, but she refused to budge. Haley is so stubborn and tries to protect herself. I'm glad you are here because I need you to convince her to…." Sydney rambled on until I put my hand over her mouth.

"You will have to forgive her. Once she goes on a tangent, it is hard for her to stop. It's nice to see you again as well and if I give you my phone, you can put your number into it," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

I shouldn't be doing this. I shouldn't have let Sydney ramble on like that.

I handed Nathan my phone and he quickly put his number into my contacts.

"Well ladies, I have to get back to the office now. Haley, you can call me anytime and if I don't answer, just leave a message. Sydney, it was very nice to meet you and I hope to see you again as well. Have a nice afternoon ladies," he spoke so suave and cool.

He waved at us and then walked out of the restaurant.

Sydney had a real dreamy look on his face and I'm sure I did too.

"Oh my gosh, you definitely held out the fact that Nathan Scott is a FOX!" she exclaimed.

My face felt very hot and I was so embarrassed. I cannot believe this happened.

"Sydney Geller, do not get any ideas from this. I just met Nathan and there is no way in hell I am going to ask him to marry me. I've told you time and time again, I want to marry someone that actually wants to be with me and would love to raise you like a daughter. I might not know a lot about Nathan, but he doesn't seem like the type to stick around, if you know what I mean. So finish up your lunch because we have to get back to the orphanage," I demanded only really trying to convince myself.

Sydney remained quiet and didn't say a word on the way back to the orphanage.

I walked her to her room and I turned to leave but she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm sorry Haley. I know this is hard for you and I know I'm not making it any easier. It's just I love you and I want to be your daughter. I really think you should at least give Nathan a chance. You shouldn't judge him based on the fact that he looks like a typical guy. He might surprise you and could be the guy you always dreamed about. But what do I know? I am a fifteen year old orphan who still believes in fairytales. Just please promise you will give Nathan the benefit of the doubt. I swear to never bring the subject up again," she said sounding much older than fifteen years old.

"Fine, I will at least consider the possibility of dating Nathan. I am not guaranteeing anything because I do not want to get your hopes up. We have to face reality that I may never be able to adopt you. So I will see you in a few days and call me if you need anything," I agreed and hugged her tightly against me.

We said our goodbyes and I walked out of the orphanage. I hailed a taxi cab and contemplated everything that happened today on the ride home.

Nathan is really gorgeous, nice, and he didn't run away when he saw Sydney sitting with me. The thing is do I only want to date him because I need to get married in order to adopt Sydney?

A small part is saying yes that is the only reason, but another part actually wants to date him for real.

I don't think my heart is ready for a serious relationship because I am still reeling from my breakup with Chris.

Chris and I dated for almost two years. He and Sydney did not get along at all. He became jealous because I spent a majority of my time at the orphanage. Also he knew how much I wanted to adopt Sydney and then gave me an ultimatum. He would marry me but he did not want to adopt Sydney. I was devastated because I was in love with Chris and it wasn't fair for him to pull something like that. I could have married him and just tried harder to find a family for Sydney, but in the back of my mind I knew I wanted to be the one to adopt her.

So our breakup was pretty messy and it will probably be awhile before I am completely over it.

I've had a disillusioned look on love ever since I was a little girl. My parents went through a nasty divorce and they put me in the middle of it. I was only 8 years old and I swore I would never speak of love if it does not exist. I don't even talk to my parents anymore because the lies, cheating, deception, and the pain became too much to bear.

When I turned 16, I began going to counseling. My therapist suggested breaking all contact with them because they caused a lot of psychological and emotionally harm. So I declared myself legally emancipated. It was one of the hardest decisions I have ever made but I'm glad I did it. I had to get out from underneath my parents. I refuse to let them hurt me anymore than they already did.

The only love I knew was the love I have for Sydney. I refuse to give up that love and I am determined to adopt her. No matter what the cost, I want her to be my daughter.

Three days passed and I didn't call Nathan at all.

Sydney practically tore my head off and told me I was making the biggest mistake of my entire life (she is such a drama queen).

I wanted to call him, but I had no idea what to say to him. I couldn't just blurt out, "yeah I want to date you and possibly get married because I want to adopt Sydney and I can only do that if we get married."

I'm sure Nathan will go running in the opposite direction and I don't blame him. This situation is so fucked up and I sometimes wonder why I put myself through this.

Then I remember that Sydney is the only person on this planet that I love and I refuse to give up on her.

On my way to work, I stopped at the local coffee shop. I got my coffee to go and went to get some sugar and milk, but I literally ran into someone. I spilled my coffee all over their white button downed shirt.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I should have been paying attention to where I was walking," I apologized and that is when I realized I bumped into Nathan.

"Wow, this must be fate again. Why didn't you call me? I was looking forward to talking to you and maybe going out for a drink or something," he asked with a serious look on his face.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've been busy with work and some personal stuff as well," I said lying through my teeth.

Nathan smirked at me and my knees almost gave out. God, that smirk is going to be the death of me.

"I've been busy too, but I don't think a simple phone call takes all that long. If you aren't interested in me, all you have to do is say so. Leading people on is not a good quality in a person. Now tell me the truth, did you not call me because you aren't interested or because you are afraid?" he demanded.

"Ummmm…..I didn't call because I'm not really looking for a relationship. You seem like a nice guy and you are probably looking for a serious relationship. I'm just not ready to put my heart on the line again. I am definitely interested in you Nathan and I'm sorry for not calling. It was more of an excuse than anything. I was just afraid, I guess," I explained.

Nathan gave me a look and I swear my heart melted. I've never had someone affect me like this before. I wasn't sure if I should run away from this feeling or not. A big part of me felt afraid to run away because Nathan already had me coming undone.

"Haley, you are right. I am looking for something serious and if you are not ready for that, I understand completely. If it's possible, I would like to get to know you. For the past three days, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. So I was hoping we could just take this slow. I don't think we should ignore this. It could be the potential for more in the future or maybe not. We won't know unless we give it a chance. So what do you say? To make up for not calling me, you can be my date to a party tonight," he tried to convince me. I hate to say that it worked.

"Sure, I'll be your date tonight," my voice sounded shaky.

"Great, give me your address and I will pick you up at 8pm," he said eagerly with a big smile on his face.

"Actually, I am working late tonight. Just give me the address to the party and I will meet you there," I said trying to stay in control of this situation.

"Are you really working late or do you not want me to pick you up?" he asked with a sour look on his face.

"I am not lying. I am working late and normally I would be all for you picking me up," I said coyly.

"Alright, getting you to agree was a start. I am not backing down though. I usually get what I want and what I want is you Haley James. For the most part, I am a pretty great guy and I promise to take care of you. I will listen to whatever comes out of that pretty mouth and I will wipe away every tear that falls down your beautiful face. I will always have your back and keep you safe in my arms. I really like you Haley and I can definitely see the potential of a great relationship between us," he clarified very sincerely.

I was utterly speechless and my heart was beating like crazy. Nathan was definitely full of surprises and I couldn't resist him anymore.

He wrote down the address to the party and made me swear to be there at 9:30pm or he was going to track me down.

I smiled at him and he smiled back. I wanted to hug him, but I wasn't sure if we were ready for that yet.

Nathan must have read my mind or something because I was suddenly in his arms. He felt so warm and inviting and I loved the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

I heard him breathe a sigh of relief that I didn't push him away.

I snuggled myself closer against his chest and I could hear his heart racing. He ran his fingers through my hair and I happened to look up real quick. He closed his eyes and sniffed my hair.

I never wanted this moment to end, but we both had to go back to work.

Nathan reluctantly let me go and we said our goodbyes.

"I will see you at 9:30 and absolutely no later please. I am going to be very bored and I need you to keep me company," he smirked at me.

"I already promised and I always keep my word. I will see you at 9:30," I said wondering what I got myself into.

He gave me a quick hug and left me standing in the coffee shop alone.

I took a cab back to my office and was greeted with a mountain of paperwork.

I worked through my lunch and dinner break. I had to finish because I cannot be late for the party.

By 8:30 I was finished and I quickly grabbed my belongings. I hailed a cab and made it back to my apartment by 8:50. I took the fastest shower of my life. I put on a little black dress with black six inch heels. I twisted my hair up with a silver clip. I quickly put on some makeup, earrings, and a necklace. I grabbed my black sweater, purse, and keys. I almost fell down the steps because I was walking very fast. Luckily I found a cab right away. I told him the address and I took my phone out of my purse. It was 9:20. I texted Nathan and told him I was on my way.

His response was: I can't wait to see you. I'm sure you look gorgeous.

My face turned a thousand shades of red and I smiled a little bit.

The driver arrived at my destination. I paid him and got out of the cab.

Damn, this house looks amazing. It was a mansion with a giant courtyard.

There were people everywhere and I had to squeeze by most of them.

I made it inside of the house and there were tons of people in here too.

I found a punch bowl and did not care that it was spiked. I definitely needed a drink.

"Don't have too many of those. You know what happens when you drink too much," I heard a voice say.

I turned around and saw Chris Keller staring at me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked defensively.

"I should ask you the same thing. I didn't know Saint Haley came out after dark," he spoke angrily and rudely.

"Wow that's your game now? Insulting me isn't going to work. I told you we were over and you seemed fine with it," I explained.

"Oh sweetie, I am fine with it. I dodged a bullet because I would have been stuck raising an orphan teenager. Are you still obsessed with Susie?" he said angrily.

"Her name is Sydney and I am not obsessed with her. She is a great kid and I love her very much. If you took the time to get to know her, I'm sure you would have loved her too. But no you just became insanely jealous because I spent most of my time with her. I won't apologize for that because Sydney is the only person in this world that I am willing to fight for. You knew how horrible my childhood and teenage years were. Sydney can kind of relate to that. That is why we get along so well. If only you could have seen that. You only care about yourself. So in reality, I dodged a bullet. I didn't have to marry such an egotistical jerk," I defended myself and Sydney.

"Listen to me you little bitch. You are nothing without me. I told you time and time again. Sydney doesn't love you. She is just using you to get what she wants. I still can't believe you are falling into her trap. You need to get out before it's too late," his words were filled with rage and jealousy.

That is when he grabbed onto my arm very tightly.

"Ow, Chris please let go of me," I screamed trying to run away from him.

"I am not leaving until you admit that Sydney is poisoning you. She is a two-faced cunt who got what she deserved. You need to stop feeling sorry for her and move on with your life," he screamed at me.

He grabbed my arm even tighter and tried to drag me away from the party.

I can't believe this is happening. I never wanted to see Chris again and of course, he had to be at the same party I was at.

I wanted to cry, kick, and scream for the awful things he said about Sydney.

I tried to free myself from his clutches but he was too damn strong.

"HEY!!! You better let go of Haley right now," I heard a voice growl.

I opened my eyes and saw Nathan standing in front of Chris with his fists clenched together.

"Listen asshole, you can't tell me what to do. Haley was mine first and I need to teach her a lesson," Chris fired at Nathan.

"No you listen asshole. Haley is not going anywhere with you and you need to let of her NOW," he yelled at Chris.

Nathan managed to pull me out from under Chris' clutches.

He walked the two of us into a different room and wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you alright?" he whispered tenderly.

I nodded my head and before I knew what was happening, Chris ran into the room and head butted Nathan into the wall. Luckily Nathan pushed me out of the way and I landed on the floor.

A fight broke out between Nathan and Chris. They were scrambling around on the floor throwing punches at each other.

I began to cry hysterically because I wanted both of them to stop. I didn't like that they were fighting over me.

Someone came into the room and yelled, "The cops are here."

Everybody ran like hell out of the house. I tried to break up the fight between Chris and Nathan.

"Please, please stop. The police are going to be here any second. Please stop," I cried and pleaded.

About three minutes later, the police did show up and they broke up the fight.

One of the officers asked me what happened. I explained that Chris was my ex-boyfriend and he was still holding a grudge against me for breaking up with him. I showed the officer my arm which had some nasty bruises on it. I said that Chris grabbed onto me and tried to drag me away from the party. Nathan tried to save me, but Chris is the one that started the fight.

The police had to take Nathan and Chris downtown for questioning.

I felt so awful because this was my entire fault.

I took a cab to the police station and waited anxiously.

About three hours later, Chris was charged with two counts of assault. Nathan wasn't charged because he defending himself and myself.

When Nathan walked out with the police officer, I seriously wanted to cry.

His eye was black and blue, his lip was swollen, and he had some nasty scratches on his face.

I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him so tightly.

"I am so so so sorry. Please forgive me," I cried into his chest.

He wrapped his arms around me and didn't say a word. We walked out of the station and I wasn't sure what was going to happen now.

"Well this was not the type of night I was hoping for," he chuckled lightly.

I began to hysterically cry and I couldn't stop.

"Hey Hales, its ok. My face looks pretty bad but I can take it. Please don't cry," he whispered pulling me into a tight embrace.

"This was my entire fault. I never should have come to the party. My instincts were screaming at me and I let you talk me into it anyway. If I just said no, none of this would have happened. How can you stand to look at me? I must be like the worst person in the world," I sobbed and rambled.

Nathan put his hands on my face and forced me to look at him.

"Do not talk like that Haley. Even though we didn't get to hang out tonight, I am still glad you showed up. I'll admit I wasn't looking to pick a fight with Chris. It's just that as soon as I saw his hands on you, all I saw was red. The only thing that mattered was he didn't beat you up. I can take care of myself but I refused to let him hurt you. I would gladly take another punch if it kept you safe. I usually a lover and not a fighter. However, I am willing to fight for the people I love. I'm not in love with you yet, but I like you enough to fight for you. Now let's get the hell out of here," he convinced me and the look in his eyes let me know what he was saying was real.

I nodded my head and Nathan hailed down a cab. We both got in and I told him my address. I convinced Nathan to come home with me so I could take care of his face.

We got to my apartment ten minutes later. I tried to pay for the cab fare but Nathan wouldn't hear of it.

We walked up the stairs to the third floor and made it to my apartment. I led Nathan into my bathroom and I began to clean his face.

"I never did thank you for what you did. I'm sorry you got hurt but thank you for rescuing me," I spoke as I put ointment on his cuts.

"No problem, Hales. I would gladly rescue you again in a heartbeat," he said making me smile.

"I'm not really into the whole damsel-in-distress thing and I am for the most part pretty independent. However, I'm glad you were there to protect me and save me from danger. I greatly appreciate it and if there is anything I can do to make up for this, please name it," I explained.

Nathan grabbed onto my hands and stopped me from what I was doing. He looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and I felt myself get lost in them.

"I liked being the one that rescued you and if you go out to dinner with me tomorrow night, we can call it even," he said.

"O.k. I can definitely do that. Instead of going out, how about I cook dinner for you?" I asked.

"That sounds perfect," he exclaimed.

We remained quiet as I finished cleaning up his face.

I left the bathroom to get Nathan ice for his eye and he followed me.

I told Nathan to lie down on the couch and to keep the ice pack on his eye.

"Can I ask you a question?" his voice barely a whisper.

"Sure," I sad cautiously.

"Why was Chris so angry at you? Was it because you broke up with him?" he asked.

"It's a really complicated story and I think you should just rest right now," I said dodging his question.

"O.k. I won't pressure you to tell me, but will you tell me one day?" he said sincerely.

I shook my head as a yes and I turned to leave, but he stopped me.

"I should probably get going. Thanks for everything," he said handing me the ice pack and tried to stand up to leave.

I pushed him back down onto the couch and pressed the ice pack onto his eye.

"No, you are staying here. It's too late for you to go home by yourself. You can sleep on the couch," I demanded and went into my room to get him a pillow and blanket.

I returned and my mouth literally fell to the floor.

Nathan was lying on the couch and he was only wearing boxers.

"Thanks," he smirked as I handed him the blanket and pillow.

My heart was fluttering and beating very fast and I knew I had to leave the room. I was about to do something I might regret later.

"Good night Nathan. Thank you again for what you did. I really appreciate it," I said before leaving the room.

I went into my bathroom and splashed cold water on my face.

I changed my clothes and put my pajamas on. I climbed into bed and fell asleep. I had many hot dreams involving Nathan and myself.

In one of them, he had me pinned against the shower wall. The water was cascading down onto us but neither one of us cared. The feel of his cock inside of me felt so damn real that I never wanted to wake up from this dream.

The next one, we were making love on the kitchen counter. I had my legs wrapped around his waist and I could literally feel his hot breath and growling in my ear.

The final dream had me and Nathan making love in my office. I could literally hear our screams and moans. Also I could feel how much the desk was moving with each thrust Nathan made inside of me.

I woke up crying because these dreams confused the hell out of me.

My alarm went off at 7am and I jumped into the shower. I took the coldest shower of my life and tried to get the naughty thoughts out of my head.

I found an outfit to wear and put some makeup on.

Eventually, I left my room and made my way into the living room.

Nathan was sleeping peacefully and I saw the horrible bruises on his face.

That is when the guilt came rushing back and I knew I would spend the rest of my life making this up to him.

I knelt beside him and lightly touched his cheek. I couldn't help to look at his chest and it definitely looked like he worked out.

"Like what you see?" he said making me jump.

My face turned a thousand shades of red and I quickly got up from the floor.

Nathan stretched and got up from the couch. Oh my god, his body is major eye candy. I just can't stop looking at it.

"Umm, I 'm sorry I woke you up. It's just I have work soon and I didn't think you would want to hang out here by yourself," I stammered trying to erase the lust filled haze in my brain.

"Don't worry about it Hales. I was going to leave anyway. I'm gonna go home and crash for a little bit longer. Thank god I am off today or I so would have been calling in sick," he said grabbing his clothes and putting them on.

"How is your face feeling?" I asked.

"It hurts a lot more than it did last night. Please don't worry because I am a fast healer. Have a good day at work and I hope we can get together for dinner tonight," he convinced me.

"Sure, that would be great. I should be done work around 6 or 7pm. Do you want me to cook here or at your place?" I asked.

"You can cook at my place if you want to. So I will see you later and thanks for letting me crash here," he said as he kissed my hand.

Then he placed his hand on my cheek and leaned in to kiss me.

I wasn't expecting this (and a part of me didn't want this either), so I moved his hand away. I walked into the kitchen and made us some breakfast. Neither one of us said a word about the almost kiss.

Ten minutes later, we walked out of my apartment together and then bid our farewells.

I spent the rest of the morning in my office filing paperwork. Of course I couldn't get Nathan out of my mind.

Around 12pm, I went out to lunch with my best friend Brooke.

We met in high school and she was there for me when I emancipated myself. I lived with her in her beautiful mansion because her parents were hardly ever home.

She is the one that convinced me to become a social worker and I convinced her to become a fashion designer.

Her clothing line Clothes Over Bros' is becoming an international sensation and I am so proud of her.

She is proud of me for finding homes for many of my "children." Also she knows how much I love Sydney and how much I want to adopt her.

I didn't want to tell Brooke about Nathan but it was like word vomit. I couldn't stop myself from telling her and she reacted exactly like I thought she would.

"So you're going to marry this guy right?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Oh my god you sound just like Sydney. No I am going to marry him. We only met four days ago and I'm sure he has a girlfriend," I said making excuses like I always do.

"Haley Elizabeth James, I can tell by the look on your face how much you like this guy already. I'm just teasing about the marriage thing. I really think you should give him a chance," she said.

"Now you really sound like Sydney because she told me the same exact thing. I swear the two of you are conspiring against me," I spoke sarcastically.

"I knew I loved her for a reason. Well besides the fact she loves to shop just as much as I do. You should take our advice and jump the guy's bones. It is clearly written all over your face how much you want him. Do not deny it Haley. I've known you for a very long time," she whispered not wanting to cause a scene.

"Brooke Davis, this is not the time to have this type of conversation. Just to make you happy, I will admit that I do like him. Can we please drop the subject now?" I pleaded with her.

"Absolutely but I'm not done yet. We can talk about this later. So I guess I could tell you that Julian asked me to move in with him," she said.

"Oh my god, really? Brooke, this is great. I hope you said yes," I said feeling happy for her.

"Of course I did silly. Julian and I have been together almost a year now and it feels like the right time for us. Plus it will give us a test run to see how well we live together if we ever get married," she said.

"That is great news Brooke. I am so happy for you and Julian. How is his new movie doing?" I asked feeling a tad bit jealous that Brooke has such a hot, talented, and amazingly sweet boyfriend.

"It's been going very well. He loves being the director and even though he is gone all day and night, he still finds time to call me. I swear I found my prince charming and I am holding onto this one for dear life. Haley James, you need to do the same," she said with a grin on her face.

We spent the rest of our lunch talking about the house Brooke and Julian are moving into.

Then around 1:30pm, we parted ways. Brooke had a photo shoot to get to and I had to head to the orphanage to see Sydney.

As soon as I arrived, she bombarded with me with a million questions.

Eventually, I calmed her down and tried to answer them as best as I could.

I told her a little bit about what happened last night. I left out the part where Nathan spent the night on my couch, the hot dreams, and the fact that he almost kissed me.

"Oh my gosh, you are so lucky. The damsel-in-distress thing is so romantic. I'm glad you didn't get hurt because I would roam the streets of New York looking for Chris Keller and totally kick his ass," she demanded with a serious look on her face.

"Language Sydney and this is nothing to swoon over. It is my fault that Nathan got hurt and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to him," I spoke with tears in my eyes.

I began to cry and for some reason, I couldn't stop.

Sydney wrapped her arms around me and it was so sweet of her to comfort me.

"Haley, you like this guy. Please stop denying it. You are allowed to be happy and I want you to be happy. Don't do this for me; do it for yourself. I hope you plan to see him again because he is a hottie mchottie. Hang onto him and do not let him go. I mean it Haley James. Fight for what you want and be fearless," she spoke convincingly.

"You're right honey. I do like him and I should be allowed to. You will be happy to know that I am cooking dinner for Nathan tonight. Speaking of, I should go home and get ready. I will call you later with all the details," I finally admitted to Sydney and myself.

"You better call me or there will be hell to pay Ms. James," she joked.

We said our goodbyes and I headed back to my apartment.

I called Nathan's cell phone and he answered on the second ring.

"Hey you, I was hoping you would call soon," he said.

"Hey, I wanted to see how you were feeling. Are you still up for dinner tonight?" I asked.

"My face is still sore and really cold from all the ice I've putting on it. However, I cannot wait to see you. What time did you want to come over?" he exclaimed.

"I need to go to the store to get things to make for dinner. What would you like to eat?" I asked.

"Whatever you want to make is fine with me," he said.

"O.k. I should be at your place within the hour. I can't wait to see you too," I admitted feeling bashful.

"I guess my hot body left an impression on you," he joked sounding very cocky.

I laughed out loud and he laughed as well.

He gave me his address and then we said goodbye.

I took a quick shower, changed into jeans and a t-shirt, and headed for the supermarket.

I bought all the ingredients I needed for dinner and headed for Nathan's apartment.

I wasn't sure what was going to happen tonight, but I honestly could not wait.

I never believed in love and happiness. Nathan might be the only exception to that rule.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Due to some confusion, Bethany Joy's name is changed to Sydney. **

_Nathan's POV_

I've never been more nervous in my entire life.

Get a hold of yourself Nate. It is just dinner with a friend who is a girl.

See that is the problem though. I don't want be just friends with Haley. I want and need more from her.

I definitely think last night brought things into perspective. I normally never get jealous but the way I saw Chris with Haley, I wanted to rip his fucking head off.

My face proves that Chris can be very violent. I really hope that he never hit Haley this way.

I got a few lucky punches in there but Chris totally beat the crap out of me. Even though my face looks pretty bad and it still hurts, I would do it all over again.

I saw the way Haley tried to break up the fight and it seemed like she cared more about me than she did about Chris.

Also I loved the way she took care of me as well. She let me spend the night on her couch and she thanked me for saving her.

I told her I would do it again and I liked being the one to protect her.

I tried to kiss her but she pulled away and acted like that I didn't even try.

Obviously, my feelings for her are getting stronger and stronger.

I don't know how much longer I can stay quiet.

Tonight, I am going to try to kiss her again and I hope she doesn't pull away this time.

As soon as I left her apartment, I went back to mine and Lucas was waiting for me.

"Dude, what the hell happened to your face?" he asked with a hint of concern.

"I went to Joe's party last night and got into a confrontation with a friend's ex-boyfriend. He was man-handling her and I had to stop it. I got her away from him but then he head butted me into the wall. We both fell to the floor and began to beat the crap out of each other. My face took the brunt of the fight. Then the police showed up and we both got hauled downtown. After three hours, I was let go and the other guy Chris was charged with two counts of assault. The friend was waiting for me and she felt horrible that this happened to me. I went back to her apartment and she cleaned up most of my face. She gave me an ice pack for my eye and insisted I spend the night on her couch. So I did and now here I am," I explained.

"Damn, that sounds like a pretty crazy night. So this "friend" of yours, where did you meet her?" he said using air quotes.

I explained how we met four days ago in a cab ride into the city. Then I saw her again a few hours later but she didn't seem interested in me. Yesterday we bumped into each other at the coffee shop and she spilled coffee on me. I told her she could make it up to me by going to Joe's party with me.

"Does this girl have a name?" he asked.

"Her name is Haley and I'm hoping after tonight, we will be friends and lovers," I cracked a small joke.

"Of course, this one will just be another notch in your bedpost. Don't you ever want to settle down and possibly get married?" he sighed and asked me the same damn question for the millionth time.

"Would you please stop asking me that stupid question???!!! When the time is right, I will settle down. For now, I like playing the field and keeping my options open. Not everybody meets the love of their life in high school like you and Peyton did. Now stop harassing me and just let me go back to sleep. I am exhausted still," I said walking into my room.

"Before you do that, I really think you should go to the hospital. I'm surprised you didn't do that last night. You need to make sure that nothing is broken and that there are no internal injuries either," Lucas said stopping me from collapsing into bed.

He pushed me out of the room and out of the apartment as well. We got into a cab and went straight to the hospital.

Two hours later, Lucas and I walked out of the hospital. I had no broken bones and there were no internal injuries either. My face was just badly bruised and it should heal fine.

"Are you happy now, you big baby?" I complained to my brother.

"Yes I am. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I can't have the best lawyer in New York sidelined with an injury. Now you can go home and rest. I need to be getting home myself. Peyton and I have a doctor's appointment today," Lucas explained.

I gave him a quick hug and wished him and Peyton luck. They were trying to have a baby.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived back to my apartment and there was a message on my answering machine.

"Mr. Scott, this is Detective Harris from the New York City Police Department. I just wanted to inform you that Mr. Keller was released on bail this morning. We highly recommend that you and Ms. James file a restraining order against him. You and Ms. James can come in anytime to do this. Please take this into consideration. Thank you and have a nice day," the detective said.

* * *

"Fuck!" I yelled to no one in particular. I threw my keys against the wall and I hid my face into my hands.

I swear to fucking God if that stupid prick goes after Haley, I won't be responsible for my actions.

That is when I noticed my cell phone was ringing. I quickly answered it because it was Haley.

"Hey you, I was hoping you would call soon," I said.

"Hey, I wanted to see how you were feeling. Are you still up for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"My face is still sore and really cold from all the ice I've putting on it. However, I cannot wait to see you. What time did you want to come over?" I exclaimed.

"I need to go to the store to get things to make for dinner. What would you like to eat?" she asked.

"Whatever you want to make is fine with me," I said.

"O.k. I should be at your place within the hour. I can't wait to see you too," she admitted.

"I guess my hot body left an impression on you," I joked sounding very cocky.

She laughed and then we said our goodbyes.

An hour later, I heard a knock at the door. I quickly opened it and my jaw literally fell to the floor.

Haley was wearing a royal blue dress that showed off all of her curves, the v-neck showed a little bit of cleavage, and her heels totally screamed "FUCK ME." Her hair hung loosely down her back and I wanted to run my fingers through it. Her lips were shiny with lip gloss and I felt a sudden urge to just lick it off.

She surprised me by throwing herself into my open arms.

"Hey," she whispered into my chest.

"Hey," I whispered back and had to swallow the lump in my throat.

After our embrace, I hesitantly told Haley about the phone call I received. She seemed shocked and scared.

I reassured her that everything was going to be alright. I suggested that we go right away to get it done and over with.

So we left the apartment and found a cab.

On the way, I asked her about Sydney. I was curious to find out how they knew each other. I figured they weren't related but you never know.

Haley seemed a little hesitant to tell me, but she did anyway.

I found out Sydney is an orphan and Haley is her social worker. They've known each other for three years now and have become really great friends. Haley is pretty determined to find Sydney a family.

"Have you always lived in NYC?" I asked.

"No, I use to live in a little town outside of Wilmington, North Carolina called Tree Hill. I loved it there, but it was time for a change," she spoke and I could see the pain in her eyes.

I was going to question it, but I decided not to.

"How about you Mr. Lawyer, have you always lived in NYC?" she asked with a smile.

"I was born and raised in the big and bad city. My dad has his own law firm, so I was doomed from the start to become a lawyer. How did you end up becoming a social worker?" I asked.

"I wanted to make a difference and I've always had a knack for helping people. My friend Brooke talked me into getting my degree for it. I'm glad because I never would have met Sydney. She has become a really great friend and someone I can count on. I haven't had that many people in my life besides Brooke. Her and Sydney have become my rocks in life," she spoke from her heart and I was taken with each word.

Obviously Haley has been hurt and pretty bad too. I hope to become a person she can count on as well.

The driver stopped at the station and we went inside. The same detective that called me earlier helped us fill out the paperwork. He told us if Chris comes within 100 feet or more of either one of us, we are urged to call the police immediately. We thanked him for everything and Chris would be served the papers as soon as possible.

We walked out of the station hand in hand and I suggested that we go to the liquor store.

I bought vodka, peach snapps, grenadine, orange juice, and strawberry juice. I was going to make drinks called Red Hot Lovers.

Finally, we made it back to my apartment and I gave her a quick tour.

Then she banned me from the kitchen and began to make dinner. I sat in the living room and I felt my phone vibrate. Lucas sent me a text message.

_-Guess what?_

_-What?_

_-You are going to be an uncle!!!_

_-Wow man that is awesome. Congrats to you and Peyton._

_-Thanks. What are you up to?_

_-I'm having dinner with Haley so I will talk to you later._

_-I'm guessing dessert will be in your bedroom. Make sure you have protection little brother._

_-Dude, does your wife know you talk dirty like this?_

_-Dude, Peyton loves when I talk dirty lol._

_-O.k. I'm grossed out now._

_-Good because I'm grossed out too. Talk to you later._

I can't believe I am going to be an uncle. I am super happy for Lucas and Peyton. They definitely deserved to be happy and it made me feel jealous for some reason.

"Nathan, dinner is ready," Haley yelled from the kitchen.

I jumped up and ran into the dining room.

The table was set for two and the candles burned brightly.

Haley came out with a big bowl in her hand. She set it on the table with a big grin on her face.

"Mac and cheese?" I asked curiously.

"Dude, Mac and cheese is the food of the gods," she fired at me.

"Yeah if the gods are five year olds," I fired back at her.

We both laughed and then sat down.

"This is my own recipe and I really hope you like it," she said.

"I was just teasing; I cannot wait to taste it," I said.

For the rest of the meal, we were pretty silent.

Haley is hands down the best chef ever. The Mac and cheese tasted heavenly.

I helped her do the dishes and I broke out the drinks. I made the Red Hot Lovers drink and I could tell Haley really liked it.

After the fourth one, I could tell she was relaxed. I decided to ask her about her relationship with Chris.

Haley explained that she and Chris dated for almost two years. He and Sydney didn't get along and it put a strain on their relationship. He became jealous that Haley spent most of her time at the orphanage. He wanted to get married and move to Los Angeles, California. Haley didn't want to leave nor was she ready for that type of commitment. Eventually, their romance began to sizzle out and they decided to break up.

I could tell there was more to the story and I was dying to know.

"Is there more that you are not telling me?" I demanded.

She shook her head yes and I could see the tears spilling from her eyes.

"I really want to tell you Nathan, but I can't. It will ruin everything," she whispered as the tears kept falling.

I pulled her onto my lap and cradled her in my arms.

"Haley, whatever you tell me will not ruin anything. I'm already in this too deep to just walk away. I promise what you tell me will be kept in confidence. Remember I am a lawyer; so that means I am a great secret keeper," I whispered into her hair and held her very tightly.

She lifted up her head and our eyes locked with each other.

This would have been the perfect moment to kiss her, but I needed her to talk first.

For the next twenty minutes, she told me about her childhood and teenage years. When she was eight, her parents went through a very nasty divorce. She lived with her grandparents for almost a year before the custody battle was resolved. She lived with her mom and went to her dad's house every other weekend. They used Haley to get what they wanted and it caused her a lot of psychological and emotional harm. She started going to counseling at 16 and her therapist suggested she emancipate herself. I was shocked beyond belief by all of this. The last time she talked to or even saw her parents was the day she handed them the papers. I can see why she and Sydney get along so well. Neither one of them have parents. After emancipating herself, she moved in with her friend Brooke. Basically, Brooke saved her life in so many ways. She gave Haley a real home and a shoulder to cry on. I hope to meet Brooke one day and thank her for all that she has done for my girl.

Wow! Did I just say my girl??

Normally, I would be running in the other direction. I usually don't get attached like this.

Obviously, Haley is different from any other girl I have ever met. I think I want a real and committed relationship with her. I'm not sure she wants the same though. The term "once burned, twice shy" definitely pertains to her.

Haley continued to cry and I wished I could make all of her pain go away.

I consoled her and rubbed her back soothingly.

After what felt like a lifetime, she stopped crying.

"Uggh every time you see me, I am falling apart at the seams," her voice cracked as she wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand.

I went into the kitchen and found a box of tissues. I returned to the living room and handed them to her.

She thanked me and when we both reached for a tissue, our hands touched.

I felt an immediate spark and I'm sure she felt it too.

Our eyes locked together again and I knew at this moment, there was no going back.

I put my hand on her cheek and leaned closer to her face.

I saw her eyes flutter closed and I was milliseconds from kissing her beautiful lips.

BANG BANG BANG.

"Nathan, it's me. Open the door!" we heard a voice yell from outside my door.

We both literally jumped away from each other because the banging at the door scared us half to death.

I groaned loudly and got up to answer the door.

My best friend Joe Jonas (yes from the Jonas Brothers) was waiting anxiously and pushed past me to get inside.

"Dude, I have major news for you…." his voice trailed off at the end because he saw Haley standing in my living room.

"Well hello there. I'm Joe," he introduced himself.

"I'm Haley, nice to meet you. I was actually just leaving," she spoke in a hurry and practically ran like a bat out of hell.

I tried to stop her but she kept running.

"Thanks a lot Joe," I spoke sarcastically.

"What?" he asked looking at me confused.

"I was finally getting somewhere with Haley and you completely ruined it. Also it's because of your party last night that my face looks like this," I spoke angrily.

"Aww hell Nate, I'm sorry. I feel awful, I really do. It's just that I am so damn happy right now that nothing can bring me down. I am getting married," he said with a stupid grin on his face.

"Congratulations Joe. I am really happy for you and Vicki. I'm sure you bought her a beautiful ring. Now you need to leave because I have to fix things with Haley. I really like her and normally I would have given up already. However, Haley is different from the rest. I honestly think she is the one for me. So I will talk to you later and once again congrats," I admitted as I lead him out of the door.

I slammed it in his face and grabbed my cell phone.

I dialed Haley's number and waited anxiously for her to answer.

"Hello," she answered.

"Hales, I am so sorry for what happened. I wasn't expecting Joe to come over and I feel terrible. Please let me make it up to you," I pleaded.

"I'm sorry I ran away. I was just confused by everything that happened tonight. I've never told anyone about my life except to Brooke and Sydney. Chris knew my parents divorced but I never told him the other stuff. I need to be sure what I said is kept in confidence. I know you gave that spiel about being a great secret keeper, so please don't play me for a fool," she pleaded back.

"Haley James, I swear I will never a breath a word about this. You have my word on that. I hope one day we can have a normal date and not be interrupted. Are you back at your apartment yet?" I promised to her.

"I'm still in a cab on my way back. My phone is about to die, so I'm going to go now. I will talk to you later," she said before hanging up.

I wanted to say more but the call ended just like that.

I decided that I would call her tomorrow and try to figure out what was happening between us.

I cleaned up the rest of the apartment, locked the door, charged my phone, and crashed into my bed.

* * *

I had awesome dreams about Haley and it confused the hell out of me even more.

In one dream, we were having sex on a private beach.

The next dream had us making love in the shower.

The final dream woke me up with the biggest hard on in my life: we were making love as husband and wife in my bed.

Also what woke me up was my cell phone ringing. I jumped out of bed and tried to hide the "tent" in my pants.

It's not like whoever was calling me could see it, but it was strange anyway.

"Hello," I said trying to catch my breath.

"Oh god, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry," I heard a beautiful voice say.

I looked down at my phone and saw it was Haley calling me.

"Nope I was already awake. I just couldn't find my phone," I said lying through my teeth. She had no idea how much she "woke" me up.

"I was wondering if you had to work today," she asked.

"Nope, I never work on Thursdays or Fridays because they are my party days," I joked.

"Haha you definitely do not seem like the party type, but who am I to judge? Anyway, I was hoping we could get together for lunch. If you aren't busy," she asked.

YES!!!!!!!!!

"Wow that was an enthusiastic yes," she laughed.

Oh shit, did I say that out loud?

"Yes you did say it out loud and it's o.k. I'm very glad you did," she laughed once more.

I began to laugh as well and it felt nice.

"So I was thinking you could come over my place. Obviously going out and your place are hazardous," she said after we finally stopped laughing.

"Very true; your place sounds great. I can be there in 20 minutes," I said feeling excited.

"O.k. I will be waiting," she said.

I hung up the phone and searched for something decent to wear.

Five minutes later, I was out the door and hauling down a cab. I gave the driver Haley's address and I began to think of ways of finally kissing her.

When we arrived at her apartment, I paid the driver and ran up all the steps. I made it to her door and began to knock.

She opened the door with a smile on her face. She was wearing a t-shirt and sweats, but she never looked more beautiful.

She led me inside and gave me a tour. Lunch was very enjoyable as well. We had tuna fish sandwiches, chips, ice tea, and brownies for dessert.

Afterwards, we spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies. We watched Super Bad, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and The Ugly Truth.

Dinner time rolled around and I proposed that we order pizza. We decided to split it and Haley brought out some beers for us to drink. Also Haley brought out the Season One DVD of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (my all time favorite show and hers too apparently).

Time got away from us and before we knew it, it was almost midnight.

I figured it was time to leave (even though I wasn't ready to).

"Well Haley, this has been a lot of fun. I guess I should cut out now," I said getting up from the couch.

"Yeah, it is getting late. Thanks so much for spending the afternoon and night with me. It was a lot of fun and we have to do it again soon," she said with a smile.

"Absolutely," I exclaimed.

Haley walked me to the door and I was mentally screaming at myself to kiss her.

We hugged briefly and she kissed me on the cheek.

"Bye Nate," she whispered.

"Bye Hales," I whispered feeling like a coward right now.

I walked out of the apartment and I wanted to kick myself.

Why I am being such a chicken shit about this?

I made it to the elevator and I realized I was making a huge mistake right now.

I ran back to her door and knocked anxiously. It felt like forever before she answered.

She opened the door and before she could ask why I was back, I took the plunge.

I pulled her gently, but firmly into my arms. My lips crashed into hers and I moaned with the sensation I was feeling.

I never wanted this kiss to end, but she broke the embrace.

Before I could ask why, she dragged me back into the apartment. Then she jumped into my arms and kissed me back with a lot of intensity and urgency.

Our tongues fought for dominance and we just couldn't get enough of each other.

I walked us to the couch and threw her down onto it. She pulled me on top of her and began to grind up against me. The erection in my pants was straining against my zipper.

Our lips found each other's again, again, and again. It's like we were addicted now and just couldn't stop.

She pulled away slightly and whispered roughly, "do you have something?"

Those words went straight to my groin and I swear I got harder.

I quickly searched for a condom and found one in my wallet.

She took off her shirt and bra and I took off my shirt as well. I helped her with her sweat pants and panties. She helped me with my jeans and boxers.

I put the condom on and didn't waste time plunging myself inside of her.

My eyes practically rolled into the back of my head because this felt so damn wonderful.

Haley wrapped her legs around my waist and begged for me to go harder.

I complied with her wishes and began to thrust even harder. Her moans, groans, and screams were turning me on even further.

Finally, my dreams were coming true. However, the real thing was infinity times better.

I could feel the tell tale sign in my spine that I was going to come like any minute. I wanted her to come with me as well.

I lifted up one of her legs and put it on my shoulder. I began to thrust even hard and with every down stroke, my pubic bone hit her clit. She began to gasp and moan even louder.

"You like that?" I breathed heavily into her ear.

She nodded and whimpered as I shoved my tongue in her mouth.

"You are so fucking hot right now. Seeing you writhing underneath is making my dick even harder. So I need you to come right this second," I demanded knowing I couldn't hold out much longer.

That is when she let go and we both came with a beautiful passion.

We rode out the aftershocks of our orgasms and tried to calm down our bodies.

"Hi," I whispered pushing the hair out of her face before capturing her lips with my own.

"Hey," she whispered as she snuggled closer into my chest.

"I guess we should talk about what happened," I spoke hesitantly.

"I actually have a better idea," she teased.

"Please tell me it involves your bedroom and more condoms?" I teased right back.

"Wow you are a mind reader Mr. Scott," she said sarcastically.

"I guess I am just that good," I spoke sounding totally cocky.

We both laughed and then we kissed once more.

I picked her up and she showed me the way to her bedroom.

We spent the rest of the night having sex and just talking randomly.

I don't think we fell asleep until 6am. It didn't matter because it was very nice to have Haley in my arms.

We fell asleep in each other's arms and I hoped nothing would ever tear us apart.


	3. Chapter 3

_Haley's POV_

_Flashback_

_I rolled over and saw a peaceful Nathan sleeping next to me. I had to pinch myself because I honestly thought I was dreaming. I looked underneath the covers and saw I was naked. It definitely was not a dream then. All the hot dreams I had about Nathan finally came true and the real thing was infinity times better. _

_I'm not sure what this means for our relationship. Are we dating now or is this just sex? _

_A few minutes later, I felt Nathan put his hand on my shoulder. _

"_Good morning," his voice heavy with sleep. _

"_Morning," I whispered back trying to hide the smile on my face. _

"_I think I should leave now," he said as he got up from the bed. _

_In that split second, the smile was gone and replaced with a frown._

"_Oh o.k. I see how it is. You are one of those hit it and quit it guys. I'm sorry Nathan, but I am not that type of person. What happened to you telling me that you were looking for a serious relationship? I guess that was just a bunch of bullshit then. Oh I get it. Since I told you about my life, you finally realized that it would be too much to handle? You should have figured that out last night. I keep putting myself out there and you keep blowing. It's probably good because nothing you say or do is going to surprise me anymore," I blew up at him and would have continued, but his lips crashed into mine. _

_This kiss was filled with passion, honesty, urgency, and something else I couldn't pinpoint._

_I pushed him away hesitantly and asked him, "Why did you do that Nathan?"_

"_Because I wanted to," was his answer._

"_Yeah," I whispered before throwing myself into his arms. I kissed him back with everything inside of me. _

_After our very nice makeout session ended, I asked him why he was going to leave. _

"_Well I am supposed to have lunch with Lucas and Peyton today. I wasn't going to wake you up because you looked so peaceful. However, I did want a goodbye kiss from you. I'm sorry I made you mad. That was not my intention. I still want to have a relationship with you, Haley. Last night and this morning were absolutely amazing. I've had one night stands before. Let me assure you….what happened between us was not a onetime thing. I feel a little bit embarrassed to be telling you this; however, since the day we met I have been having really hot dreams about you. You have to know the real thing was even better than I ever imagined. I really like you Haley and it's scaring the shit out of me. I've never felt this strongly about anyone in my entire life. At the same time, I am afraid to run from this because I think what we have is special and not something to just throw away," he explained making my heart race even faster._

"_I feel the same exact way Nate. I already owe you my life and I don't want to give up this feeling of happiness that I have. You broke through my walls Nathan Scott, which is a feat in itself. When you touched my heavy heart, you made it light. Thank you for everything. Now you are not allowed to leave this bed because I said so," I admitted to the man I was slowly falling in love with. _

"_If I could, I would stay in this bed with you for the rest of my life. However, I still promised Lucas and Peyton I would have lunch with them. So I will stay with you for a little bit longer and leave around 11:30am. Is that alright with you," he asked with a smirk on his face._

_I nodded my head and we wrapped ourselves underneath the covers. He wrapped his arms around me and I snuggled closer into his chest. _

"_Sweet dreams beautiful," he whispered into my ear._

"_Sweet dreams handsome," I whispered back. _

_End Flashback

* * *

_

_**Two Weeks Later**_

It has been two weeks since Nathan and I have been together. We had lunch together every day, took walks in the park, went to visit Sydney at the orphanage (she and Nathan got along very well, which made me very happy), and I also got to meet Lucas and Peyton. Nathan was very eager for me to meet them and vice versa. They seemed very nice and I could tell how much Lucas and Nathan loved each other. Also we have sex every chance we get and haven't spent a night apart except for last night.

He had a very early court date, so we decided it would be better if he stayed at his own apartment.

That was a big mistake because I tossed and turned all damn night. I kept waiting for Nathan to wrap his arms around me and whisper naughty things into my ear. I can't believe how much I missed and needed him. This feeling scared me to death but made me happy at the same time.

Before heading to work, I stopped at the coffee shop and bought the biggest cup of coffee ever. I needed it to stay awake during work.

I made it to my office and I began to do the mountain of paper work on my desk. I happened to look at my cell phone and saw I had a text from Nathan.

-_Good morning beautiful. Last night was awful without you in my arms. That can never happen again. I will call you as soon as court lets out. _

The rest of the morning flew by and before I knew it, lunch time came.

I bought my own lunch today because I figured Nathan would still be in court. Brooke was in LA promoting her new men's line and Sydney was at school, so they were both out.

My desk phone began to ring and I saw it was my secretary Hannah.

"Ms. James, Nathan is on line 1 for you," she said.

"Thanks Hannah," I said quickly connecting to line 1.

"Hello," I said with a smile on my face.

"I miss you," his voice sounded lonely.

"I miss you too," I admitted knowing it was true.

"What are you wearing right now?" he demanded to know.

"Nathan!" I exclaimed and felt my face turn a thousand shades of red.

"Are you not going to answer the question Ms. James?" he asked laughing softly.

"I plead the fifth on this one," I joked.

"Alright, I'll hopefully see what you are wearing soon," he said.

"How was court today?" I asked.

"It was good and went better than I expected. Also it went faster too. So I am free for the rest of the afternoon. What do you say of playing hooky from work and spending the rest of the day with me?" he asked.

"That sounds absolutely wonderful. Do you want to meet somewhere?" I said feeling so happy right now.

"I'm almost at your office so just wait there for me. See you soon beautiful," he said.

We said our goodbyes and I waited anxiously for my boyfriend.

I got butterflies in my stomach every time I called Nathan my boyfriend.

Nathan's smirk would turn into a full blown grin every time he called me his girlfriend.

Ten minutes later, I heard a knock on my door.

I quickly opened it and before I had time to think, I was pinned against the door.

Nathan's lips crashed into mine and we both moaned at the sensation.

His lips soon traveled to the spot behind my ear that drove me wild and he whispered, "oh god baby I missed you so damn much last night. We are not allowed to be apart ever again."

I nodded my head and begged him to kiss me again. He complied willingly and we made out for the longest time.

Luckily Nathan locked the door before pinning me against it because I did not want anyone interrupting us.

Nathan lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked us to my desk and cleared everything off it with one swift of his hand.

He slowly laid me down on top of it and we began to take off each others clothes.

Nathan grabbed a condom out of his wallet and I slipped it onto his erection.

He didn't waste any time and just plunged right into me. I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming.

I could feel the desk moving with each thrust he made and it suddenly hit me that one of my hot fantasies was coming true.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and begged for him to go harder.

Our moans were getting louder and I was afraid someone was going to hear us.

I kissed Nathan and our lips stayed connected for the rest our time together.

About five minutes later, we both had earth shattering orgasms.

After we caught our breath, we pulled away from each other hesitantly.

We quickly put our clothes back on and walked hand-in-hand out of my office.

In the elevator ride, we made out once more until we made it to the first floor.

While we waited for a taxi, I told Nathan something important.

"We just fulfilled one of my fantasies," I whispered in his ear.

"Oh really?" he smirked at me.

I think he would have kissed me, but a taxi pulled up at that moment.

We got in and Nathan told him the address of our favorite place to eat lunch: Starbucks on Broadway Avenue.

* * *

I enjoyed our lunch and I know Nathan did as well. Afterward, we took a walk to the shopping district. I mentioned to him that Sydney's birthday is tomorrow and I need to get her a present.

"Would it be alright if I got Sydney a present as well?" he asked curiously.

"Aww Nate. I think she would absolutely love that," I exclaimed feeling giddy. When I mentioned to Chris that he should get Sydney a birthday present, he laughed in my face.

Nathan dragged me into a store and I suddenly realized we were in Tiffany's & Co.

"Nathan, what are we doing in here?" I asked confused.

"Sydney needs something good in her life and having a charm bracelet from here will definitely make her happy. She has been through so much at such a young age and she deserves a great present. Plus I really want her to like me. I know you told me that she and Chris didn't get along. I don't want the same for us," he explained.

I gave him a quick kiss and I helped him pick out the charm bracelet.

Later, we went to Sam Ash and I bought Sydney an electric keyboard. She loves music and I know she has always wanted a keyboard.

After that we went to Macy's and I picked out a cute dress for Sydney to wear. It is a black and white dress with floral prints and polka dots.

I had a lot of fun shopping with Nathan. He doesn't seem like the type to like shopping, but he definitely proved me wrong.

We finally made it back to my apartment and I made us mac and cheese for dinner.

I called Sydney after dinner and she was happy to hear from me.

I told her that Nathan and I were going to take her out to dinner tomorrow night for her birthday.

I swear I almost went deaf because she screamed very loudly.

When she finally calmed down, I told I would pick her up after school. She would get ready at my apartment.

A few minutes later, I hung up the phone. I turned around and noticed Nathan was gone. I looked in the living room and kitchen, but couldn't find him.

I was getting kind of angry because I thought maybe he left the apartment.

Then I heard a noise come from my room. I ran in there and saw Nathan lying on my bed in only his boxers.

"Ms. James, you are wearing far too many clothes for my liking," he demanded and the smirk on his face almost made my knees go weak.

He got up from the bed, took me in his arms, and kissed me tenderly.

My clothes were off in a matter of seconds along with his boxers. Once again, we spent the rest of the night having sex. I don't think we fell asleep until 3 or 4am.

I woke up around 10am and decided to make breakfast.

I stole Nathan's shirt and then made my way to the kitchen.

While I waited for the food to be ready, I quickly texted Sydney and wished her a very happy 16th birthday.

She texted me back saying, "Thanks Haley. The greatest present in the world that would make me super happy right now would be for you and Nathan to adopt me."

My heart felt sick because my feelings for Nathan were getting stronger and of course Sydney pressured me every day to marry him so we can adopt her.

I'm not sure if Nathan and I have a future together. The sex has been great and I love hanging out with him. Eventually, it's going to get old and Nathan is going to get bored. I should probably break up with him before this gets worse.

My heart hurt just thinking about that because I knew deep inside he is the one for me.

I went to check to make sure our breakfast didn't burn and I felt Nathan wrap his arms around me.

"You look hotter in my shirt than I do," he whispered into my hair as he kissed my neck.

He turned me around and we kissed each other good morning.

He helped me set the table and we enjoyed our "family" style breakfast.

After cleaning up, we said goodbye. Nathan was going back to his apartment to get ready for tonight.

* * *

I took a shower, straightened up my room, wrapped Sydney's presents, and then headed for Sydney's school.

When she saw me, she gave me a huge hug. We went back to my apartment and I gave her the dress. She absolutely loved it of course.

Around 5:30pm, Nathan called me and said he was on his way.

While we waited, I gave Sydney the keyboard.

She totally flipped out (in a good way) and began to play it immediately.

Nathan showed up ten minutes later looking absolutely handsome.

The three of us went to the Ellen Stardust Café because this is Sydney and I's favorite place to eat. It is so cool because the waiters and waitresses sing for the customers.

I could tell Sydney and Nathan really liked each other. It brought a smile to my face and it warmed my heart. It also broke my heart because this wouldn't last.

Nathan gave Sydney the charm bracelet and I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Nathan and Haley, this has been the best birthday I have had since before my parents died. I will always be grateful for the two of you coming into my life. That is why I have a proposition for you. Since I already love you Haley and I know one day I will love you Nathan, I honestly think you two should get married. This way you can adopt me and we can be a family. Please think about it," Sydney admitted and I seriously wanted to hurt her right now.

After Sydney's proclamation, the tension between Nathan and I was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

He barely looked at me and I couldn't bear to look at him either. Sydney remained quiet as well.

The taxi ride back to the orphanage was silent and awkward.

Nathan waited in the cab while I walked Sydney inside.

Once we made it to her room, I yelled at her.

"Sydney, what the hell is your problem? I told you time and time again. I am not marrying Nathan. You should probably know this now but I was going to break up with him tonight. It's just not working anymore and it's not fair to lead him on like this. Now you just ruined everything. I love you Sydney and you know that. I'm sorry but I am never going to be able to adopt you. I am just going to have to work harder to find you a family."

"Oh my god Haley! Stop being such a damn coward. I know your parents fucked you up, but you can't let them control the rest of your life. That is why you emancipated yourself from them. I can see it in your eyes that you love Nathan. I am fairly certain he loves you too. I love you as well Haley and if you don't want to marry Nathan, it's o.k. Don't throw this relationship away because of me or the fact that you think you can never be happy. I'm sorry for what I said to Nathan. It was wrong and I hope you can forgive me," she explained.

"I forgive you Sydney and I will think about what you said," I said as we hugged.

I left her room and wiped the tears from my eyes. I went back to the cab and then Nathan and I went back to my apartment.

I wasn't sure what to say or what to do now.

Nathan took me into his arms and I completely lost it.

He tried to soothe me but I just couldn't stop crying.

The next words that came out of his mouth shocked the hell out of me.

"Let's get married."


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four: The Climb**

_Flashback_

"_Let's get married" I said waiting for a response from Haley. She stood there shocked as hell I assume. I had no idea what she was thinking. After the long pause between the two of us I couldn't bear it anymore. I turned my back and walked out the door to her apartment. I was fighting the tears back and walked down the stairs quietly. _

"_Nathan wait please…let me explain" she said running after me and grabbing my arm. I pulled away from her and my heart was breaking even more._

"_No need to explain…No words will heal the broken heart that was just broken" I said taking a deep breath trying not to cry again. _

"_It is just too soon for this. We just met two weeks ago, Nathan. I cannot marry you…just not yet. I'm sorry. Please forgive me" she said looking into my eyes. I turned away and continued to walk out. I couldn't believe she said no._

_End of Flashback._

It's been two months since I had last talked to her. My heart was still broken. Lucas and Peyton tried cheering me up but it failed every time. Joe and Vicki would take me to all these events since she was a model but I mainly buried myself into my work. Case after case. Court hearings after court hearings. The four of them were probably staging some weird intervention for all I knew.

I was lying on the sofa when I heard a knock at my door. "Come in" I yelled.

"Dude, I need you to come with me" Joe said hitting the back of my head.

"What the fuck Joe? Exactly where do you want me to go?"

"Vicki's in a fashion show. I don't want to be alone. I figured it would get you out of this god forsaken apartment."

"I have no interest in going to that show. I support Vicki a hundred percent and send her my best but I am just not in the mood to go" I said not budging from the sofa.

"Look Nate, you have to stop feeling sorry for yourself. She said she couldn't marry you right now and you took that as a break up. I have been there for you since day one and the least you could do is get your ass to that fashion show. Have I lost my best friend because of this girl?" He said angrily.

"You haven't lost me. I'm just hurt Joe. Don't you remember what it is like to be hurt?"

"Yes I do. That is why I am doing what you did to me. Just get your ass up and dressed please."

"Fine. You win. Give me 10 minutes."

"Okay good because my car is outside waiting" he said leaning against my bar. The fashion show was only a few blocks away so it didn't take long to get there. We sat down in our seats and waited for the fashion show to start. We had front row obviously because of Vicki and Joe. I was looking around to see who was here and immediately saw Haley on the other side of the runway. I shook my head and sighed.

"Who is the designer, Joe?"

"Brooke Davis…why?"

"That is Haley's best friend and there is Haley."

"Oh god, Nate, I had no idea. I'm sorry. Do you want to leave?"

"No, it is fine. She hasn't seen me yet so that is good I guess. I am just going to run out in the lobby, I need some air."

"Okay. The show is starting in about forty five minutes" he said and I nodded in response. I walked out into the lobby and there she was. She saw me and smiled at me. She started walking over towards me…great.

"Hello Nathan" she said smiling at me.

"Hi Haley" I said awkwardly. I felt my heart break all over again.

"I've tried calling you but you either didn't answer or your secretary said you were no longer accepting calls from anyone that is not a client or potential client…meaning me."

"I didn't want to talk to the girl that said she didn't want to marry me when I could have sworn she was in love with me just like I was in love with her."

"Nate…I never said I wanted to stop seeing you! I just said I was not ready for marriage. It was you who decided that you would not return any of my calls or even see me when I came by the office. It was you who decided to let these two months go by without a single word."

"Don't put this all on me. I put my heart on the line and I thought you felt the same way as I did obviously I was wrong. It was nice Haley James but now it's done. Can't you see that you standing here in front of me is killing me? Can you not see in my eyes that I am in so much pain?" I was going to continue but Joe had stepped between us.

"I swear you both are going to ruin the show for both my fiancé and your best friends. Nathan go home! I should have known not to let you leave. I cannot believe either of you would do that to your friends" he said yelling at the two of us. I immediately stormed out of the fashion show and walked back home.

* * *

_Three Months Later_

Joe was still kind of mad at me for what happened at the fashion show. We were talking but he seemed mad. Today felt like a good day though. I was up early, went to the gym, had breakfast, and managed to get to work a little bit early. The sun was out too so that was a big plus and it wasn't too hot out. I walked into my office and my secretary said I had a visitor in my office. It must be Luke or Peyton. I walked into my office to see Sydney standing there. "Hi Nathan, long time no see" she said smiling at me.

"Wow, you were not who I thought was going to be in my office."

"I know you probably thought it was an actual client or your brother or best friend. I'm sorry."

"No, no. It is okay. Have you eaten breakfast today?"

"Not really. I mean I did but not enough."

"Would you like something to eat? I can send my secretary out to get us breakfast if you would like."

"Oh okay. If you don't mind."

"Not at all Sid" I said calling Brenda my secretary to get us breakfast from the Denny's down the street. "So what do I owe this visit for?"

"Well I actually have a question to ask you."

"Sure sweetie shoot."

"Well you know how Haley wants to adopt me" she said and I feel that I shuttered at her name.

"Yes."

"Well she has been really angry and bitter lately and she just seems too frustrated to deal with trying to find me a family. So I was wondering if you could help me get emancipated? That way Haley can just give up on trying to find someone adopt me."

"Emancipation is not easy, Sydney. The god's honest truth is that adoption is a hell of a lot easier than emancipation" I said to her as I saw sadness come upon her. "However…I do have ways of pushing your adoption through. I know the judge that handles the adoption of orphans and I can hopefully get it pushed through. If that is what you want than I will call him and set up a lunch to ask him what he thinks of the whole situation."

"Oh my god Nathan, really?"

"Yes. I am serious" I said as she ran over and hugged me. "Now you cannot tell Haley, at least not until I talk to the judge and find out what I can do."

"Okay…Thank you Nathan. You are really an angel."

"Thanks. I will have Brenda drive you back."

"Thank you Nathan" she said hugging me goodbye. She left and I walked back over to my chair and sat down and put my feet up on the desk. I knew exactly who to call.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number quickly. "Hello" a soft voice answered.

"Hey Vicki, its Nathan."

"Hi Nate I am shocked to hear from you. What's up?"

"Uncle Matt still is the judge for adoption cases right?"

"Yes…why? Who are you adopting?"

"I'm not adopting anyone. I was just curious. Could you by chance give me his number?"

"Sure thing Nate. It's 917-282-6783. He is at work now so he should be able to talk to you."

"Thanks Vicki, so I'll talk to you later. Tell Aunt Karen and Joe I said Hi."

"I will. Bye Nate" she said as she hung up the phone. I dialed Uncle Matt's number and he answered.

"Hey Uncle Matt, it's Nate. I was wondering if you were able to grab lunch with me today. Okay thanks. I will see you at Sardi's at noon. Can't wait. Thanks. Bye." I looked down at my watch and it was already 11:35. I might as well head over. I told Brenda I would be back later. Sardi's was across town so I grabbed a taxi and made it there in half the time. By the time I was there Uncle Matt was standing outside.

"Hello Nathan" he said hugging me. I hugged him back and we walked inside.

"Uncle Matt I have a favor to ask" I said after we chatted for a little bit and caught up.

"Sure Nate, what is it?"

"I have this friend Haley and she has been trying to adopt this 16 year old girl that she works with. She is a social worker and loves this girl more than her own life. The last judge she went up against said she would never be able to adopt this girl without being married. She has no intentions of getting married and since we are family I was curious if you could push that through for me?"

"The girl is 16?"

"Yes."

"And she wants to be adopted by Haley?"

"Yes she is actually the one who came to me asking to be emancipated and I know adoption is easier to shoot for so I figured it would be a fantastic birthday present for Haley."

"Not a problem, Nathan. I can push it through."

"Really?"

"Yes. I am in charge of that so if you wish you can come back to my office with me and I'll get all the information and sign them you just need to have her sign them."

"Uncle Matt, thank you so much!"

"No problem Nate. Plus I owe you for being my lawyer in Vicki's adoption case against her asshole father."

"Any time Uncle Matt."

We rode back to his office and he gathered all the papers together. He gave me the envelopes with all the papers in it and I hugged him one last time and made my way back to my office.

* * *

_Haley's POV_

Sydney was definitely hiding something from me. I was too exhausted to figure out what on earth it was. I left the orphanage and started to head back home. I grabbed the key to the building and unlocked the front door. I decided to check my mail while I was down there. Maybe our mailman came early…for once. There were a bunch of manila envelopes in there. I walked up the stairs to my apartment and opened the door. I sat down at the kitchen table and tried to think what on earth they could be. I opened the first one and there was a letter in there.

_Dear Haley,_

_I know what it is like to be so close to something and be knocked down. There will always be that voice inside me saying I'll never make it. Life is a climb, Haley, but the view is great. Things between us did not work the way we had hoped. I want you to know that I care about you deeply. _

_I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason bringing something we must learn. We are led to those who help us most to grow if we let them and we help them in return. Well I don't know if I believe that's true but I know I'm who I am today because I knew you. _

_So much of me is made of what I learned from you; like a handprint on my heart. And whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend. And just to clear the air I ask forgiveness for the things I have done that you have blamed me for._

_That is why I did this for you Hales. We all dream that one dream that we hope comes true…well here is your dream come true Haley. There is more to live for now._

_Always, _

_Nathan._

I read the letter over again and felt tears fall from my eyes. I opened the next manila envelope and there they were. The dream come true. "Life's a climb…but the view is great" I said crying tears of joy.


End file.
